Total Scope with 共 in Chinese
共
The adverb 共 presents a number as the complete total for a set, text, event, or calculation. It normally appears before the verb or quantity-bearing predicate, as in 共有 or 共十五课. Because it scopes over the total statement, it cannot be inserted inside a number-classifier phrase or after the completed quantity.
Published July 23, 2026
Reviewed July 23, 2026
01 / PATTERN
See the Structure
MODEL
共 + Verb + Total Quantity; Noun + 共 + Quantity
Read the structure
The adverb 共 presents a number as the complete total for a set, text, event, or calculation. It normally appears before the verb or quantity-bearing predicate, as in 共有 or 共十五课. Because it scopes over the total statement, it cannot be inserted inside a number-classifier phrase or after the completed quantity. Keep the model 共 + Verb + Total Quantity; Noun + 共 + Quantity visible while you compare each sentence.
会议共有三十人参加。
Thirty people attended the meeting in total.
Choose the right context
Use 共有 before a total number of participants or items. Use 共 directly before a quantity predicate in concise written statements. Use 共 to signal that component counts have been combined into one total.
这本书共十五课。
This book has fifteen lessons in total.
Respect the boundary
Do not place 共 between a numeral and its classifier. Do not attach 了 to 共 as though it were a verb. Do not use 共 for a lower bound when 至少 is intended.
会议有三十共人参加。
(Thirty people attended the meeting in total.)
Repair the pattern
Total adverb splits numeral and classifier: 三十人 is an intact quantity phrase; total-scope adverb 共 belongs before 有. Aspect marker attaches to the scope adverb: 共 is an adverb marking total scope and cannot take perfective 了.
会议共有三十人参加。
Use the repaired structure without changing the intended meaning.
02 / MAP
Read the Sentence
Read from left to right and notice the job performed by each part. The labels describe this example; they are not a rule that every Chinese sentence must copy.
会议共有三十人参加。
Thirty people attended the meeting in total.
会议
共
This part occupies the 共 position in the model pattern.
共有
Verb
This part occupies the Verb position in the model pattern.
三十
Total Quantity; Noun
This part occupies the Total Quantity; Noun position in the model pattern.
人
共
This part occupies the 共 position in the model pattern.
参加
Quantity
This part occupies the Quantity position in the model pattern.
03 / EXAMPLES
Examples You Can Reuse
Keep the structure stable while changing the people, objects, times, or conditions. Pinyin is shown as reading support; use the Chinese sentence and translation to confirm the grammar relationship.
会议共有三十人参加。
Thirty people attended the meeting in total.
这本书共十五课。
This book has fifteen lessons in total.
两笔支出共八百元。
The two expenses total eight hundred yuan.
04 / LIMITS
When to Use It — and When Not To
Use it when
- Use 共有 before a total number of participants or items.
- Use 共 directly before a quantity predicate in concise written statements.
- Use 共 to signal that component counts have been combined into one total.
Do not use it when
- Do not place 共 between a numeral and its classifier.
- Do not attach 了 to 共 as though it were a verb.
- Do not use 共 for a lower bound when 至少 is intended.
05 / REPAIR
Compare Right and Wrong
Compare the smallest meaningful change. Each explanation identifies a placement, scope, form, or clause relationship instead of treating the whole sentence as one undifferentiated mistake.
会议有三十共人参加。
会议共有三十人参加。
Total adverb splits numeral and classifier
三十人 is an intact quantity phrase; total-scope adverb 共 belongs before 有.
这本书共了十五课。
这本书共十五课。
Aspect marker attaches to the scope adverb
共 is an adverb marking total scope and cannot take perfective 了.
会议有三十共人参加。
三十人 is an intact quantity phrase; total-scope adverb 共 belongs before 有.
这本书共了十五课。
共 is an adverb marking total scope and cannot take perfective 了.
06 / PRACTICE
Practice the Grammar Point
Complete three short tasks in order: judge the pattern, repair a common error, and build the sentence. Feedback is fixed and reviewed, so these activities do not use a checker allowance.
1. Judge the sentence
2. Choose the correction
3. Build the sentence
Build a complete sentence with 共.
07 / APPLY
Apply It in Your Sentence
Write one original sentence with 共. Your draft moves to the checker through this browser session, selects this grammar point as the first review focus, and waits for you to submit.
08 / QUESTIONS
Total Scope with 共 Questions
How is 共 different from 至少?
共 gives the total; 至少 gives a minimum.
Must 共 be followed by 有?
No. 共有 is common, but 共 can directly precede a quantity predicate.
09 / SOURCES
Sources and Review Notes
These references support different parts of the lesson. GF0025-2021 supports level placement only; professional grammar works support the explanation, limits, examples, and cross-checks. Their inclusion does not imply endorsement.
Chinese Proficiency Grading Standards for International Chinese Language Education (GF0025-2021)
Ministry of Education and State Language Commission · Ministry of Education of the PRC · 2021
Locator: GF0025-2021 Appendix A, Level 4 item 【四06】 (PDF pp. 211-212)
Provides official Level 4 directory placement and examples only; it does not establish the learner-facing usage explanation.
Official sourceModern Mandarin Chinese Grammar: A Practical Guide, 3rd ed.
Ross, Ma, Chen, He and Yeh · Routledge · 2024
Locator: Chapter 15, Adverbs
Supports scope adverbs before the predicate or quantity they modify; GF item 【四06】 supplies the totalizing use of 共.
Official source10 / CONTINUE
Continue with a Connected Rule
Easy to confuse
至少/仅仅Minimum and Restriction with 至少 and 仅仅
Distinguish between 共 indicating the total amount that has been totaled and 至少 indicating the limit that cannot be lowered, and check whether the number is a result or a threshold.
Compare
大都Majority Scope with 大都
Compare 共 which summarizes the quantity of all items and 大都 which summarizes most members. The former does not directly indicate the proportion of members.
Continue learning
数量短语Basic Quantity Phrases
Write the total number after 共 as complete 数量短语, and continue to check the matching of the numeral quantifier and the object being summarized.
RECOMMENDED NEXT
Easy to confuse
Distinguish between 共 indicating the total amount that has been totaled and 至少 indicating the limit that cannot be lowered, and check whether the number is a result or a threshold.